New Look & A Little Blog 411

You might have noticed a little change here on The Lovely Cupboard…a facelift! I’ve been excited about the new look for quite some time and was just as anxious to share this virtual makeover with you as I have been the real makeovers in my home. I wanted to take a bit and explain why I changed the look, why I love it, and how it works with some of my goals for blogging. Also, I wanted to give a little info on why I’m making specific advertising choices on my site. (If you couldn’t give a flip about any of this, I apologize. Feel free to move on from today’s post. I am not offended in the least. I’ll have a yummy recipe later this week to share.)

The very talented Molly Jaques designed the logo and much of the lettering you see. Ana of Blog Milk is a wizard (of the most helpful and friendly persuasion) and made sure everything is working as it should with the redesign.This is the second time I’ve worked with Ana. If you are looking for a new blog theme, her shop offers several beautiful selections for a very reasonable price.

Why change the old look?

I really liked my first design. I came up with the concept and Ana did a beautiful job creating exactly what I asked for. At the time though, I was pretty new to blogging (still am) and didn’t realize how designing a blog is a bit different than decorating a room. The more that I blogged and read other blogs, I began getting a clearer picture of what kind of aesthetic I wanted mine to have. The old look just didn’t fit.

Here’s what I wanted in the new design:
– A logo that was simple and memorable
-A clean, crisp appearance that didn’t detract from pictures in the post
-A side bar section that was easily navigable for first time readers and regulars alike

New Features
-A bog search bar, yay!
-“Reply” option to individual comments. This is great for me to reply specifically to people who may not have their email attached to their profile (which is how I reply to most comments.)
-Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook buttons at the bottom of each post, so they can easily be shared.
-A projects page that’s a combination of the old DIY and Before & After pages. All the projects in one place. Organized and streamlined. Be still my bloggy heart.

A Shoppe? What?!
Yes! I’m excited to be collecting items for a Lovely Cupboard shop on Etsy that will be launching in the coming weeks. It’s a mix of vintage items for the home and unique finds for your kitchen cupboard. Can’t wait to show you guys.What’s with all the sponsors?
Here’s the deal. I love blogging, but it’s work. It takes time. And money. Unless you are a super blogger that has 20,000+ followers you’re probably not making a full-time living from blogging. I work full time as a teacher and blog on the side. It’s a hobby that generates a tiny bit of money for me, so I can justify the many hours a week I spend doing it.

Right now a lot of what I make from the blog goes back into improving the look, cost of upkeep, or tools to help me learn more about blogging and photography. The rest helps me buy fun ingredients like capers and safron, pricey items I wouldn’t normally buy for just one recipe but find myself doing often for recipes I share here.

Joining an ad network (the larger flashing ads) is a way for me to count on a very small but predictable amount coming in each month. Partnering with small shops is something I love to do. These are shops that I’ve found, adored, and contacted. A few have approached me. While I worked with some, I (politely) turned down a few shops that I personally wouldn’t purchase from and felt readers like you would not be interested in. When I do partner with a new small shop and introduce them to you, I feel like I’m sharing my latest find with friends. This is the kind of advertising I hope to do more of in the future.

I have a blog and would like to know more about monetizing options. Where do I start?
When I started my blog, I didn’t even realize people were making from blogging. It can be overwhelming trying to understand what options are out there. If you are new to blogging and are interested in finding out how to make a little bit of money from your blog, I highly recommend taking a class offered by ALT Summit led by Liz Stanley who writes one of my favorite blogs. It’s called Getting Started with Advertising. This 60 minute web class was so helpful to give me an idea of what the heck I should even be doing in this area. That class was the best $15 I’ve ever spent for my blog.

I love the new look of your blog! I have to say one of the things that I loved about your asthetic was that you wrote your ingredient list on a chalkboard and now that I know you are a teacher it makes it even cooler. I hope that will continue with the new look. It’s beautiful and gives me something to aspire to! Thanks also for sharing about the monetizing class. I plan on taking it.

The new look is great! It’s clean and easy to navigate…I remember you mentioning that you were working with Ana, so it’s exciting to see what the two of you came up with outside of the already beautiful templates she creates. The type you chose for your header is fantastic too – really love that!

Thanks for the information on the blogging classes. I have just started to blog a few months ago, I am learning how to do all this and in the near future, I want to be able to have some money back with advertising. I like your approach about adding only the advertising you would use and not just any. I have bookmarked the info and when ready will research. Thanks again!

Hello! You’re doing great work here. You’ve updated the look without losing your “identity”! Im at the point where I’m starting to “monetize” my blog. This is certainly the “get rich quick” option, by any means! The work and money that goes into creating a place (blog) people want to visit is huge. It’s a labor of love but at some point it needs to support itself at some level. You explained it all beautifully. I’m going to check out the class, too. Thanks and all the very best to you and your team!

Well, I for one am very grateful for the info on getting into ads, etc. I’ve always been lost in that arena. I think it’s very telling that you do put so much thought into your blog. The new look is, well, just lovely, and very easy on the eyes.Thanks for the great info, Heather.alison g.MyLittleHappyPlace

I love the new look, Heather. I’m right there with on learning more about what I want out of my blog now that I’ve been doing it for about 7 months. I will definitely be looking into Blog Milk when I’m ready to make the leap to a redesign and will tell Ana that you sent me! And your new logo is just stunning – clean, crisp, simple and uniquely memorable.

I too took a few Alt classes in January/February of this year and agree it was money well spent. I had a new baby when I started my blog, so I’m still trying to find time to complete DIY, craft and cooking projects that I can share.

I like it. I think the side bar would be more clear if the ads were on one side of the blog and the side bar on the other. Right now, with some ads in the same bar as your blog navigation tools, some of the past post pictures could be mistaken for ads (if people are already familiar with your past posts). …Or maybe there could be a clearer line between the ads and the side bar. (But ads seem like a great choice and if anything seem to endorse your blog).

This is a good point. Definitely something to consider. I’ll be thinking of a way to make it easier to distinguish. I think that’s important because I definitely don’t want people to avoid my favorite posts thinking they’ll be redirected. Thanks for the feedback!!

On a Serious Note

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